Page 5 of Knox Academy Omnibus
This I can’t keep quiet about.
“Yes, your son doesn’t know how to keep his hands to himself and I made it clear that I would mess up his pretty face if he touched me again. Which he did, by the way. And I didn’t even punch him. But obviously your ex must favour him, because I got sent out for reacting and he didn’t, even though that’s clearly assault.” His brows pull together. I don’t think he knew that it was Kalen that was also involved. “And your ex also took the piss out of my accent!” I tell him. His frown deepens, but he doesn’t pull me up on my bad language like I expected him to.
“Kalen is a very friendly boy, but I assure you we do not tolerate that kind of behaviour here. I will follow up with him, but I have to punish you for your outburst. I run a tight ship here, and I will not make exceptions, even for my own sons and stepdaughter.” He pauses, takes a deep breath and continues, “But in this instance...what if, when you come over for Sundaydinners, you pretend to actually want to be there, and give your mother a chance?”
He slides a credit card across his desk and I look at it, then back at him. This must be some kind of unspoken bribe.
I take a deep breath. How dare he try to manipulate me? “The fake smile I can do, but the 'giving her a chance part', I won’t promise.”
“I can work with that. Send Baxter in on your way out.” He doesn’t say anything else, so I grab the card and the four-digit pin scrawled on the piece of paper with it, and leave. I’m not opposed to the money kind of bribes. Besides, you never know when it might come in handy.
Walking out into the waiting area, I see Baxter is still slouched in the chair spinning an unlit cigarette between his fingers. “You have been summoned, oh dark and sinful one,” I tell him, bowing low and winking at him when I rise.
That earns me a smirk that only a psychopath would give. I love it.
Chapter Three
Amelie
The rest of the day is somewhat uneventful. I say somewhat, because classes run smoothly, but because I also lifted the phone from the teacher in the toilet. My plan was to intercept her messages with Sawyer for tonight. It seems that Jess, or Miss Hart as I’m supposed to call her, was pushing to meet Sawyer at the trendier wine bar in the local village. He wanted to go to the pub but reluctantly agreed to her request. I rattle off a quick text to say I - that isJess- will meet him at the pub after all, then delete the message. I even manage to put her phone back without getting caught. It’s child’s play to me.
When lunchtime rolls around, it’s easy to find Kalen and his brothers. They sit in a group in the middle of the room, along with a few other students. I make sure to sit with my back to them, far away. I’m far more preoccupied with tonight's plan to worry about the other brothers. Kalen was an easy target, but I need more information on the twins. Tonight I plan to see how close I can get to my biggest stepbrother.
“What do you know about the twins?” I ask Elsie.
“Not much, they are third years. Onyx is scary as fuck. Slate is nice enough, if it benefits him. I wouldn’t say they are celibate, but I’ve never seen them with any girls here. There was rumoured to be one last year, but she left the school crying and hasn’t ever been back. Rumour has it that they like to share girls, but who knows, the whole family is very secretive. Kalen may give away the most, but don’t be fooled by his pretty face and smooth words; he can - and will - stab you in the back when it comes to his family. I wouldn’t even try to go there if I were you.”
“Don’t be a spoil sport, you’re ruining my twin sandwich fantasies.” She laughs at my comment, then the bell goes even though I haven’t eaten all of my lunch. I have a free period next and need to find the study hall, which is in the library according to Elsie. Elsie ducks out quickly with a goodbye, but I take my time to dispose of my lunch and watch the Knox boys as they leave. Kalen smiles at me and I flip him off, which makes him laugh. The twins glare at me, so I blow them a kiss, which just deepens the scowls on their beautiful faces. Satisfied that I have added myself onto their radar, I head out.
Walking the halls, I rely on Susan to guide me safely, even though I have come to the conclusion that she has as much an idea as I do regarding directions. I take yet another right down a deserted hallway, everyone else already in their classes.
Ah-ha! I find a room that finally has a damn sign. Literally, a sign on a stand that says, ‘study hall’. Entering quietly so as not to disturb anyone, I look around in awe. It very much looks like a home library, or the kind I always imagined someone with money would own. Long walls lined with tall bookshelves, but not as big as an actual city library.
Have you ever been stuck in an alley, in the dark, and all you have are your senses to rely on...no? Well, I have and a wave of...something...rolls over my skin; the hairs on my arms stand on end. I use my peripheral vision to see if anyone is close.
One exit, three windows, none look like they open, but could potentially be smashed.
The thumping in my chest rings in my ears. I’m being ridiculous; I’m at school, in the daylight and I’m new. Who would want to hurt me? I swing to turn towards the exit, needing a time out to get myself in check, but I’m blocked mid swing. Two large bodies trap me, and I instantly feel like a small car stuck between two semis.
“Don’t say a fucking word, keep your mouth shut, and everything will be fine.”
I don’t know which twin speaks, but I scoff in response. I may be hyper aware of my surroundings, but the issue with me is that when I’m faced with trouble, my mouth has a mind of its own and it likes to get defensive.
Each twin grabs an arm and lifts me enough to half-drag, half-carry me to a table at the back of the room. Dropping me in a chair, each takes a seat beside me, clearly smart enough to know I would try to run.
“Who are you?” one of them snaps.
“Who are you?” I mimic.
“Don’t get smart, we can make your life here harder than it needs to be.”
“Amelie.” I don’t care if they know who I am. I realised with Kalen that they don’t know who I am yet. Which makes me wonder why my incubator hasn’t disclosed that I’m here. Maybe she hasn’t even told them she has a kid - though Principal Knox clearly knows already. I didn’t miss the ‘step-daughter’ title he threw my way. It really wouldn’t surprise me if the others didn’t know, though.
“Why did you transfer in during second year?”
“Isn’t that the point of this place; misfits and fuck ups having a place to go?”
“No one transfers in their second year, so you are here for a reason and we want to know what it is...so start talking.” I’m not sure which one it is, but he squeezes my leg under the table hard enough to leave a bruise.
